USA News Corner

Nancy Mace Touts Bipartisanship, Warms To Harvard Students in IOP Visit

The night before Rep. Nancy R. Mace (R-S.C.) came to Harvard, she described its campus as enemy territory. But after her visit, she said her opinion of Harvard students had changed for the better, according to three people who attended her Thursday event at the Institute of Politics.

In the week before her Harvard appearance, the South Carolina congresswoman framed the event as a confrontation in posts on X, telling her followers that she was “bringing America First to Harvard” and taunting students as “blue haired Pro-Hamas kids.”

Newsom criticizes trans athletes competing in women’s sports as ‘unfairness’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom — an outspoken champion of LGBTQ+ rights since he was mayor of San Francisco — publicly criticized the “unfairness” of transgender athletes participating in women’s sports in his new podcast Thursday.

The Democratic governor made the comments during an hourlong interview with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a loyal supporter of President Trump. The podcast explored the vulnerabilities of the Democratic Party in the wake of Republicans taking control of the White House and Congress after the November election.

Newsom also distanced himself from some aspects of “wokeness,” telling Kirk that no one in the governor’s office ever used the inclusive term “Latinx,” or started any meeting by sharing their preferred pronouns.

Speaker Johnson says censure of Rep. Al Green for Trump disruptions is a 'sad day' for Congress

10 House Democrats voted alongside Republicans to censure Green for his behavior during Trump's joint address to Congress

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Democrats have been left "embarrassed" by Rep. Al Green's behavior after the House voted Thursday to censure the Texas congressman for disrupting President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress.

Johnson joined "America's Newsroom" after the vote to punish the lawmaker for his "disgusting" behavior during Trump's speech to the House chamber.

"This is a really sad day for our institution," Johnson told Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino. "What Representative Al Green did in the midst of the president's speech as our honored guest to the chamber was disrupted. He did it intentionally, as everyone saw. I gave him plenty of warnings and he refused. It was a deliberate action. It needed to be met with swift punishment. That's the tradition of this place to maintain decorum, and so that's what we just did."

How each member of the House voted on the censure of Rep. Al Green

The House voted Thursday to censure Rep. Al Green for his protest during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, with 10 Democrats joining House Republicans in condemning the Texas Democrat’s actions.

Green, 77, disrupted Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to remove the lawmaker from the chamber.

“I have no ill feelings toward the speaker, none toward the persons that escorted me away from the floor, because I did disrupt. And I did so because the president indicated that he had a mandate. And I wanted him to know that he didn’t have a mandate to cut Medicaid,” Green said in a speech on the House floor Thursday, following his censure.

Here’s how the vote broke down by party.

Read More>>

How each member of the House voted on the censure of Rep. Al Green

A House Republican said Thursday he will force votes on kicking dozens of Democratic colleagues off of their committees for chanting and singing on the House floor over the objections of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Why it matters: The incident came in response to Republicans and nearly a dozen Democrats voting to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) for disrupting President Trump's speech to Congress.

As Johnson read out the resolution censuring Green, dozens of House Democrats, primarily Black Caucus members and progressives, stood in the well of the House singing "We Shall Overcome".

Johnson repeatedly banged the gavel and said "the House will come to order," before putting the House in recess until the disruption subsided.

What they're saying: "Today, a group of House Democrats broke decorum during the censure of Rep. Al Green and, after multiple warnings, refused to heed [Johnson's] order," Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said in a post on X.

Ogles said he is drafting privileged resolutions — which any member can force to a vote with or without support from leadership — to "remove each of them from their committees."

Pamela Bach, actor and ex-wife of David Hasselhoff, dies at 62

Pamela Bach, an actor and the ex-wife of “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff, has died at 62.

The Los Angeles medical examiner’s office reports that she died Wednesday and the cause is still under investigation. Also known as Pamela Hasselhoff, Bach appeared on “The Young and the Restless” and met her future husband on the set of his series, “Knight Rider.”

She also appeared on “Baywatch.”

Bach and Hasselhoff were married in December 1989, and had two daughters, Taylor and Hayley. Hasselhoff filed for divorce in January 2006 and the former couple had a contentious split, with Bach accusing him of domestic abuse. A video of Hasselhoff drunkenly eating a burger led to him temporarily losing visitation privileges with his daughters, but they were restored after two weeks. The actor acknowledged the video, shot by one of his daughters, showed him during an alcohol relapse but he denied abuse allegations at the time.

A message to David Hasselhoff’s representative was not immediately returned.

In 2018, David Hasselhoff married model Hayley Roberts.

Rep. Sylvester Turner, a Texas Democrat, dies at 70

The former Houston mayor, who was just two months into his first term, attended President Donald Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday night.

First-term Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, died Tuesday night after suffering a medical emergency following President Donald Trump's address to Congress, according to two House Democratic lawmakers who were informed of his death.

He was 70 years old and had just taken the oath of office in January. Turner previously faced bone cancer.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., later Wednesday confirmed Turner's death in a statement, calling the former Houston mayor an "iconic leader" and a "fighter until the end."

"The House Democratic Caucus family is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Congressman Sylvester Turner. Though he was newly elected to the Congress, Rep. Turner had a long and distinguished career in public service and spent decades fighting for the people of Houston," Jeffries said.

At a closed-door Democratic meeting Wednesday morning, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., announced to colleagues that Turner had died and that his family has been notified, according to one lawmaker who attended the meeting.

Sylvester Turner, Sworn In as U.S. Representative in January, Dies at 70

A former mayor of Houston, he was in attendance at the president’s speech on Tuesday night but was later taken to a hospital.

Sylvester Turner, a former mayor of Houston who was sworn in as a U.S. representative in January, died on Tuesday night in Washington. He was 70 and had been in attendance at the president’s speech on Capitol Hill.

His death was announced on Wednesday morning by John Whitmire, who succeeded him as mayor of Houston.

Mr. Turner, a Democrat, was a veteran of Texas politics. He served in the State Legislature from 1989 to 2016, when he became mayor of Houston. He served two terms before leaving office in January 2024.

Trump to address Congress as tariffs threaten to ignite dangerous trade war

The Cuban exiled nation is in mourning, Lincoln Díaz-Balart dies

Former US Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a prominent defender of democracy and human rights, died on Sunday, his brother confirmed.

The South Florida community is in mourning following the announcement of the death of former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart, an emblematic figure in the fight for democracy in Cuba and defender of human rights.

Lincoln Díaz Balart, un ex legislador cubanoamericano, muere a los 70 años

Lincoln Díaz-Balart, quien se desempeñó en la Cámara de Representantes de Florida, el Senado de Florida y la Cámara de Representantes de EE. UU., murió el lunes, según su hermano, el representante Mario Díaz-Balart. Tenía 70 años.

Lincoln Díaz-Balart nació en La Habana, Cuba. Se educó en España y Florida antes de obtener su título de abogado en la Universidad Case Western Reserve en Cleveland, Ohio.

Cuban-American former congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart passes away

Lincoln Díaz-Balart dedicated 24 years of his life to politics, including 18 years in the United States House of Representatives.

The former Cuban-American congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart passed away this Monday in Miami, his brother Mario reported on his social media.

"With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Lincoln Díaz-Balart," it was posted on his X account.

"His love for the United States and his tireless commitment to the cause of a free Cuba guided Lincoln throughout his life and his 24 years of elected public service, including 18 years in the United States House of Representatives," it added in a statement.

Born on August 13, 1954, in Havana, Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart y Caballero dedicated his life to public service and the promotion of democracy in his native country.

Former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Dead at 70

Miami, UNITED STATES: Cuban-American member of the US House of Representatives Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) speaks during a press conference at Miami's International Airport after he, his brother Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (L), and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (not pictured) returned from Washington, DC, 02 August, 2006, where they discussed the possible changes occuring in Cuba with members of Bush's National Security Council.

Democrats plan a different kind of response to Trump’s big speech

Their less pugilistic approach is the latest sign the party is still coming to terms with how to confront the president.

President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday for the first time in five years. Democrats are determined not to make their response all about him.

That might come as a surprise for those who remember what ensued during Trump’s first term. His congressional addresses became a prominent stage for the Democratic resistance, with lawmakers booing, chanting and walking out at times. Many chose outfits and invited guests to make a point. Most famously, in 2020, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of Trump’s speech while seated directly behind him on the dais.

Musk, standing before Trump’s Cabinet, gets their applause and approval

“This can only be done with your support,” the DOGE leader told the Cabinet as he pledged to take a chainsaw to the bureaucracy they oversee.

President Donald Trump’s first word at his first Cabinet meeting went to someone who isn’t in the Cabinet.

That person, of course, was Elon Musk.

Donning his trademark “dark MAGA” baseball hat and “tech support” T-shirt under a black blazer, the multibillionaire Department of Government Efficiency chief on Wednesday joined all of the confirmed or nominated members of Trump’s Cabinet.

It was a media moment that appeared engineered to emphasize support of Musk’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government among that government’s full leadership, while also underscoring Musk’s deference to the commander-in-chief — two of the most powerful storylines in the first month of Trump’s second term.

“Is anyone unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw him out of here,” Trump said. One member could be heard shouting “grateful,” and the Cabinet applauded Musk, who is hellbent on taking a chainsaw to the bureaucracy they oversee.

Trump and Elon Musk dominate his first Cabinet meeting

Trump’s Cabinet members were largely supportive spectators as the president gave the floor to his adviser and then discussed his agenda (and several grievances) for about an hour.

President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet secretaries for the first meeting of his new term on Wednesday, gathering agency leaders who are working to implement his agenda at a spitfire pace — and the billionaire adviser whose work on Trump's behalf is touching all of their agencies.

The group, which included nominees who haven't yet been confirmed, was joined by Elon Musk, whose early actions to reshape the federal bureaucracy have stoked rancor and unease among government employees, as well as early murmurs of concern among some Republicans in Congress. 

“He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump said as he introduced Musk. “He’s getting a lot of praise, I’ll tell you, but he’s also getting hit.”

Musk's efforts have prompted resistance from some Cabinet secretaries, including several who recently instructed staff to put aside a directive coming from Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency that required a five-point response to the question, “What did you do last week?